Chapter 342: Black Art
Inside the Spirit Realm office of Hammerheart Pavilion, You Chuan remarked, “Zhang Yu’s current simulation environment suits him perfectly.”
“Activate Deep Connection for him. During the critical breakthrough moment, play it at 0.3x speed and loop it ten times.”
Hearing You Chuan’s instructions, the customer service representative frowned. “This simulation environment’s pain index is extremely high. If we activate Deep Connection, I’m worried the simulation’s memories might adversely affect his mental state.”
You Chuan was well aware that Deep Connection greatly increased the chances of a breakthrough, but it would also intensify the residual memories, sensations, and emotions from the simulation.
He said dismissively, “He already agreed to the user agreement. Even if something goes wrong, it won’t be for at least a few months. Who’s going to blame us?”
The representative persisted, “But mobilizing so many computational resources and letting him endure so much suffering for free… isn’t that letting him off too easy?”
You Chuan sighed. “There’s no helping it. The ‘Guaranteed Spirit-Flesh Unity for 30 Spirit Coins’ package was always meant to be our selling point. We bet on students having sufficient talent and determination to achieve Spirit-Flesh Unity within five attempts. When we encounter students who stubbornly refuse to break through, we can only chalk it up to bad luck.”
Meanwhile, Zhang Yu opened his eyes in the Spirit Realm and remembered his identity.
He was Zhang Yu, a construction worker.
But due to physical injuries, his work efficiency had plummeted, and gradually no construction sites were willing to hire him.
Fortunately, technological advancements and the emergence of Bionics gave him hope.
“Bionics! The Celestial Craftsman Group’s revolutionary product leads the world with cutting-edge Immortal Dao Technology, enabling everyone to achieve higher work efficiency.”
“In the future, those equipped with Bionics will only need to work two hours to complete the workload that currently requires twelve.”
“The Heavenly Craftsman — harnessing Immortal Dao Technology for the greater benefit of Kunxu.”
Watching the commercial, Zhang Yu made a firm decision. He sold everything he could, including his hands and feet, and borrowed a large sum of money to finally get his Bionic installed, immediately regaining his ability to work.
Assigned to a construction site, he swallowed raw materials daily and expelled high-quality Coagulated Earth. His work’s technical complexity soared, and his salary multiplied severalfold.
But the good times were short-lived. The newly introduced Bionics triggered a severe rejection reaction in his body.
Lacking funds, Zhang Yu couldn’t afford the weekly Bionic adjustments, let alone the monthly maintenance.
These first-generation Bionics gradually began to age, failing to adapt to his body’s natural changes and causing structural imbalances…
All of this ultimately led to his Bionic Synchronization Rate steadily declining.
“Your Synchronization Rate is too low, forcing your control nerves to work overtime, which eventually caused abnormalities in your cerebral cortex…”
Listening to the company’s analysis, Zhang Yu murmured, “So that’s why I’m experiencing phantom pain?”
The other party replied, “First, settle your bill, and then we’ll immediately adjust your Bionic for you.”
“You need to understand that your body changes daily. Your current Bionic can’t automatically adapt, so it needs weekly adjustments to perfectly match your body.”
“Prolonged lack of adjustments can lead to bodily deformities, causing your flesh and nerves to develop compensatory mechanisms…”
Zhang Yu had already stopped listening to the rest of the explanation. Burdened by crushing debt, he simply couldn’t afford the adjustments.
He could only endure the phantom pain, repeatedly circulating the Crippled Ox Body-Sacrifice Heart Art.
But as his work hours increased, the pain grew more frequent and intense.
The phantom sensations of limbs being severed and internal organs being torn apart surged through him. Opening his eyes, Zhang Yu seemed to see his bloodied wounds once more.
Driven by the Sutra’s frenzied circulation, he was on the verge of achieving Spirit-Flesh Unity.
But just then, a thought suddenly surged through his mind:
“Why? Why can’t my wounds heal on their own?”
At the same time.
In the dormitory.
Under the influence of the Deep Connection, the Crippled Ox Body-Sacrifice Heart Art in Zhang Yu’s mind began to circulate spontaneously, pushing the vitality in his hands and feet to its peak.
The flesh surged rhythmically, as if attempting to heal the severed wounds on his limbs.
Mirroring Zhang Yu’s violent reaction in reality, his simulated self trembled violently.
The flesh in his hands and feet pulsed intensely, triggering a breakthrough in his mental cultivation technique. A profound transformation seemed to occur within him.
Just then, a voice seemed to tear through the simulated space, echoing from the depths of the Spirit Realm into Zhang Yu’s Sea of Consciousness.
“Find me…”
Instinctively, Zhang Yu replied, “Who are you?”
“Find me…”
The voice seemed deaf to his question, continuing relentlessly, “Find my spirit… Find my physical body… Find my Magic Power…”
When Zhang Yu regained consciousness, he realized his connection to the Spirit Realm had been severed.
He removed the Spirit Realm Mask, his mind racing with the memories of what had just transpired. “Me?” he murmured.
Zhang Yu felt his mental cultivation technique circulating naturally, and without realizing it, he had already reached the Spirit-Flesh Unity Realm.
But before he could rejoice, a strange web address appeared in his mind.
“Did that voice transmit this to me?”
“Who was that person? How could they… call to me from within the Hammerheart Pavilion’s Spirit Realm environment?”
“Could they be someone from Hammerheart Pavilion, secretly observing me?”
As Zhang Yu’s mind raced with questions, a communication request popped up on his Bionic Eye.
Upon accepting, Manager Youchuan’s figure materialized before him.
“Zhang Yu… student?” Youchuan asked, his eyes flickering nervously. “Are you alright?”
At the critical moment of Zhang Yu’s breakthrough, just before his simulated flesh activated in the virtual environment, Youchuan had noticed the entire simulation suddenly disconnect.
Seconds later, the entire virtual environment collapsed.
This sudden event startled You Chuan.
He immediately instructed customer service to block the news, intercept logs, and secure related data. Then, he contacted Zhang Yu.
Seeing Zhang Yu unharmed, You Chuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness.”
Although Zhang Yu’s death wouldn’t significantly impact Hammerheart Pavilion, it would be a major blunder for You Chuan personally.
Noticing You Chuan’s peculiar expression, Fu Ji suddenly asked, “What’s wrong?”
Listening to Zhang Yu’s account, Fu Ji smiled faintly. “Don’t worry. If it were a serious issue, they wouldn’t just contact you via comms.”
“From their perspective, this incident might be seen as a work error.”
“Otherwise, the people from Hammerheart Pavilion wouldn’t have bypassed official channels to contact you personally… I think we can bluff them.”
Zhang Yu raised an eyebrow and glared at You Chuan. “What’s going on with Hammerheart Pavilion? Such a serious error! I nearly died in there!”
You Chuan’s heart sank. He inwardly cursed his luck, maintaining a stubborn denial of any fault outwardly, but his confidence wavered.
Because he genuinely didn’t know what had happened during those brief seconds when the connection was severed.
Zhang Yu said, “You don’t want to take responsibility, do you? I want a refund, and I’m going to sue you. I’ve already saved the corrupted Spirit Realm data as evidence…”
Hearing this, You Chuan’s heart sank again. Recalling the adjusted simulation environment parameters he had ordered, he sighed inwardly and was forced to negotiate with Zhang Yu.
After some haggling, they gradually reached an agreement.
You Chuan said, “If you bypass the company’s refund process, acknowledge that the service was successfully completed, and refrain from pursuing this matter further, I will personally refund you 2.5 Spirit Coins per month for 12 months.”
“Letting Zhang Yu abandon the Spirit-Flesh Union Journey is for the best,” You Chuan thought to himself. “It’s a waste of computational resources and it’s corrupting our team’s data. If another accident occurs…”
Zhang Yu’s eyes lit up. “What about interest?”
After another round of haggling, You Chuan finally agreed to cover the interest. He would transfer 3.3 Spirit Coins to Zhang Yu monthly, allowing Zhang Yu to cover his monthly loan installment for the Spirit-Flesh Union Journey.
Although Zhang Yu considered trying to squeeze out more benefits, he knew he had already achieved Spirit-Flesh Unity.
Moreover, he didn’t want to reveal what had happened in the simulation environment — neither the mysterious voice nor the activation of his body’s vitality.
Therefore, Zhang Yu understood that he couldn’t truly escalate this matter.
“It’s a stalemate for now, like a thin reed trying to fend off a wolf. But I’ve temporarily managed to bluff him.”
Shortly after signing the agreement, Zhang Yu hung up. Thinking about how he had gotten the Spirit-Flesh Union Journey for free, he couldn’t help but laugh. “I’ve hit the jackpot!”
Fu Ji, however, was more concerned about the URL Zhang Yu had received.
But Zhang Yu didn’t immediately visit the site. After thinking it over, he sent the URL to Zhang Pianpian, asking if she saw anything suspicious.
“Where did you get this URL?” Zhang Pianpian asked, puzzled. “It points to the deepest part of the Spirit Realm, almost at the edge of the Second Layer.”
“It doesn’t look like an established link, but rather… something that was just recently generated.”
“However, the website is encrypted and locked down, preventing me from accessing its contents. Forcing entry might corrupt the information within.”
Under Zhang Pianpian’s protection, Zhang Yu logged into the website.
After a long silence, Zhang Pianpian couldn’t resist asking, “What do you see?”
“A… mental cultivation technique?” Zhang Yu replied, puzzled. “One that’s not in the Great Library either.”
“It’s also something that can be classified within the Chain Method Diagram Set, a mental cultivation technique belonging to the Great Sage’s Heir Set,” he thought to himself.
Zhang Pianpian raised an eyebrow. “What kind of technique is it exactly?”
Zhang Yu recited the technique’s contents aloud. After searching the Spirit Realm’s data repositories, Zhang Pianpian slowly said, “There’s no record of this technique in any of the data I have access to.”
“This means… it’s a black art.”
Zhang Yu frowned. “A black art? What does that mean?”
Zhang Pianpian explained, “It’s a cultivation art not listed in the Dao Repository Catalog of the Ten Great Sects, without copyright registration, and lacking any official records.”
“Most believe black arts are cultivation arts that the Ten Great Sects have forbidden and purged from their records.”
“It might have originated from some extinct sect.”
“Or it could have been created by someone who’s been blacklisted.”
“Then, Senior Sister…” Zhang Yu asked curiously, “do you think I can cultivate this art?”
After a moment of silence, Zhang Pianpian replied, “Based on its content, I don’t sense any immediate danger.”
“In fact, judging by its quality, this cultivation art is at least pre-military-grade, if not outright military-grade.”
“The real danger of this black art likely lies in its origins.”
“And the person who imparted this art to you might also have their eyes on you.”
“But a mental cultivation technique of this caliber would be a waste not to cultivate.”
Zhang Pianpian seemed to weigh her options before looking at Zhang Yu and saying, “The choice is yours.”
“But remember, if you decide to cultivate it, you must conceal yourself completely. Moreover, never circulate this black art while your consciousness is connected to the Spirit Realm Network, lest you attract unwanted attention.”
Shortly after Zhang Yu began practicing this black mental cultivation technique, time swiftly passed, and it was late August — the final deadline for the semester’s exams.